Fyf Residence By Patterns

Fyf Residence was designed by Patterns and comes with a highly original architecture. The amazing family house located in Rosario, Argentina has an interesting monolithic form and consists of a single level. Its twisted exterior contrasts the other buildings in its neighborhood and features plenty of intriguing elements. The folds and bends within the concrete create unusual openings which make for some uncommon windows offering “oblique views”. The shape of the house is stretched by an appealing looking pool which seems to stir down the overall dynamics of the architecture. The total surface of the house is 200 square feet and also includes a small greenhouse at the request of the clients, a landscape designer and an agricultural engineer. The interiors feature plenty of unexpected angles and effects. Through the clearings in the concrete, the house gets a large amount of natural lighting during the day which creates playful shades all around

Ruiz-Maasburg Penthouse in Madrid

This is the story of the Ruiz-Maasburg Penthouse in Madrid designed by Hector Ruiz-Velazquez. Forced to turn an attic of only 60m2 inside and 50m2 of terrace/patio into a stylish, practical and modern living zone, the architects took advantage of every available square centimeter of space and optimized it. Using forced perspectives, a good lighting system and white painting, this apartment was turned into a dynamic crib with unusual angles. Here is more information: “A dynamic axis that emerges from the entrance leaves static spaces on both sides of the three-dimensional sinuous diagonal. This entrance or hallway seems to defy gravity and logic and thus changes unexpectedly the perception of space according to the user and his movement trough them. Thus it creates a completely fluent and dynamic space in a static surrounding. ”

Eco Home Design

Featured as part of the American Institute of Architects’ 2009 Fall Home Tour, Kuhlhaus 02 eco home design by LeanArch Architects, is one of the most striking, sustainable homes in the Gaslight District of Manhattan Beach. This forward-thinking Los Angeles-based architecture firm designed this contemporary style home of 4,080 sq. ft. with a cool facade and contemporary interiors to match. The open concept house plan features vast sliding glass doors which open interiors to the outdoor entertaining areas like a number patios and decks, designed with an industrial-chic flair. And proving that it’s stylish to be sustainable, this eco home design is Green rated, and is designed with a regard for solar power, energy consumption, land-use and the environment.

Dentsu London Office International

Description from Essentia Designs:

The Brief

We were approached through project managers Interactive Space to work on the offices for Dentsu London, one of the most exciting creative agencies in the UK. The building is an award winning development by Amanda Levete which the Dentsu team have already christened the “spaceship” (Tokyo HQ is the mothership!).

Our brief was to create an interior which was sympathetic to the curvaceous exterior of the building and provided a high-tech Japanese minimalist environment within which they can create their future magic. In addition to the main agency studio spaces there was a need to incorporate space for Attik, an associated multi-award winning branding agency as well as the European head office functions.

The Solution

Dentsu London is a fast growing business akin to a start-up but with the solid foundations and backing of existing blue chip clients from around the globe. The decision to co-locate the Attik business in London (relocating from Leeds) meant the solution needed to encourage integration and cross-fertilisation between the two groups. In addition, the European HQ team were moving from separate offices in Mayfair so this would be the first opportunity for the business to function out of a single location.

From a strategic perspective, the top floor penthouse space provided an ideal main boardroom and consequentially we located the main reception area on the 5th floor to simplify the client journey and provide space for Dentsu Europe. The 4th floor was retained as the main creative studio hub, while Attik have their own space on the third floor, which includes an exhibition space and padded meeting room, along with a shared canteen and library space. The decision to locate these shared facilities adjacent to the Attik team was to encourage social engagement and speed up integration of the businesses.

We developed a scheme that took inspiration from sources as disparate as Star Trek, Spitfires, Buckminster Fuller and Eriko Horiki’s massive paper sculptures and followed a neutral pallet with mostly white and grey interspersed with the vibrant green used in the floor finishes of the building’s common parts. The existing building is very energy efficient and utilises a chilled beam AC system with integral low energy lighting, so there was a conscious decision to have everyone working in an open plan, agile way so there were no offices and only the bare minimum of closed meeting rooms. The 4th floor studio space has a fantastic energy and creative buzz with freestanding pods for collaborative brainstorming.

We wanted to retain as much of the base build elements as we could, so developed the concept of a curved tensile fabric screen to separate the client reception area from the Dentsu Europe team. You enter the reception through a fabric tunnel which peels back to reveal the thermo-formed corian reception desk and client waiting area, a fitting introduction to this amazing agency.

Tree Shaped concept

This unusual looking home comes from Mount Fuji Architects Studio and is located in Tokyo, Japan. It was built for a couple in a residential area of the city, even though the architecture manages to separate the project from its urban environment. A first noticeable particularity is the fact that the ceiling is not leveled. One step inside and one can see the reason behind this unique design. Right in the middle of the home there is a giant cylinder resembling a tree stem. Towards the ceiling, this structure begins to fade out turning into a spiral shape, which explains the form of the interesting looking ceiling. The interiors are based on the “Cartesian coordinates system” and have well defined geometrical features. We think the window that the column forms at the beginning of its “transformation” looks highly original, from inside as well as from an exterior angle.

The East Village Studio By JPDA Architects

The East Village Studio comes from JPDA Architects, stretches over an area of 152 square meters (500 feet) and was built as a little “nest” for the owners who also work here. It has all the utilities a common looking contemporary home has and dare we say a lot more. This original crib has storage space and shelves in the most unusual and unexpected places, reducing clutter and contributing to a clean and fresh interior design. The wood gives this home its warmth which is “intensified” by the friendly vegetation pots spread around the open studio.

Studio and Housing in Kojetin

Kamil Mrva Architect projected a studio and housing in Kojetín, Czech Republic, in an exceptional place.

Here is the project description:

The plot is located on a hill with a view of the surrounding landscape. The owner’s intention was to reconstruct a former barn into a place for work and living in the first phase, and build a new family house in the vicinity in the future.

The original sandstone walls and pillars from 1862 have been preserved. A reinforcing concrete ring was designed to which a lightweight shed roof was anchored. Inside the original building, a square structure was erected – a studio.

The single-space concept is based on how our ancestors used to live in this region. All necessities were taken care of in one parlour room: a kitchenette, sitting room and place for sleeping and working.

The project was designed using natural materials. The load-bearing structure and lightweight roof are made of wood.

The Seed Cathedral

“The Seed Cathedral” features 60,000 fiber-optic rods which pierce through the six-level structure. Each rod contains seeds from the Millennium Seed Bank in Great Britain.

Here is more information from Thomas Heatherwick: “The Seed Cathedral sits in the center of the UK Pavilion’s site, 20 meters in height, formed from 60,000 slender transparent rods, each 7.5 meters long and each encasing one or more seeds at its tip. During the day, they act as optic fibers and draw daylight inwards to illuminate the interior. At night, light sources inside each rod allow the whole structure to glow. As the wind moves past, the building and its optic “hairs” gently move to create a dynamic effect ” Stunning! You might also want to check out the video featuring the building’s incredible interiors.

The Met Hotel

Zege Architects projected this contemporary hotel of 212 guestrooms in Greece accompanied by accommodations such as Spa, VIP lounge, conference rooms, gourmet restaurants and atmospheric bars.

The lobby/reception area is a generously open plan inviting you to walk through the space and explore the mod living in front of the dynamic fire place or the lounging comfort of the alternative living ambiences.

One of the restaurants, Chan, designed by Andy Martin, is treated like a “boutiesque” project, there is a space within a space approach designed for intimacy and privacy. The second restaurant is designed with an approachable ambience.

Glazing and natural day light plays a prime role. In the Spa the design language is kept simplistic and edgy. Day light is present in a controlled form and throughout the whole interior a hygienic essence is present.

In the corridors leading to the bedrooms we experience volume and warmth through the structural wood panel forms. Arriving inside the bedrooms there is the presence of wood, lacquer and glazing. Three finishes combined with smooth fabrics to create a luxurious but approachable space.